Henry Shefflin admits that the Kilkenny panel isn't strong enough to cope with injuries to their starting XV.
For only the third time in the 21st century, the Leinster hurling final will not contain Kilkenny after their three-point defeat in to Wexford in Wexford Park on Saturday evening.
Only three times in the Brian Cody era have Kilkenny failed to win their province.
In 2004, they were beaten in the Leinster semi-final by a last minute goal from Wexford's Michael Jacob.
In 2012, a scintillating Galway stunned the hurling world with a ten-point victory over Cody's team in the Leinster final.
And in 2013, Dublin battled their way to a three-point victory over Kilkenny in a Leinster semi-final replay in O'Moore Park.
To these years, we can now add 2017.
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Eight-time All-Ireland winner and RTÉ.ie hurling analyst Richie Power said that Kilkenny are finally starting to feel the effects of so many retirements, citing the absence of Jackie Tyrrell and Eoin Larkin from the dressing room this year.
Kilkenny had previously weathered the retirements of celebrated players remarkably well.
At the end of the 2014 season, Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney all departed. And yet Kilkenny seemed unperturbed by the upheaval in personnel as they claimed the eleventh All-Ireland title of the Brian Cody era in 2015.
Speaking to the Ray D'Arcy show on RTÉ Radio One this afternoon, ten-time All-Ireland winner Henry Shefflin said that Kilkenny don't currently boast a panel capable of withstanding the effect of injuries to the starting players.
"I was a little bit surprised as I thought that Kilkenny would bounce back but unfortunately the better team won on the day.
"It’s not looking good for Kilkenny but I think we need all of our players playing – we have a couple of injuries which we’re carrying at the moment and we just don’t have the panel of players to pick up the slack so that’s where we are and the better team won," he commented.
However, as disappointed as Shefflin was to see Kilkenny lose, he said that it was great for hurling to see the buzz in Wexford Park at the weekend.
"As a Kilkenny man, we’re very disappointed, of course we are but for the game of hurling, it’s great to see Wexford and the Wexford public out in such numbers out on the field after the game.
"The hurling championship is alive and well and it should be a great summer."
